No matter what century you live in a good scandal always sell. Don't believe me, just pick up any newpaper or turn on any news station. Scandals are meant to bring public outrage agianst something or someone because of an offence against moraity or law. and while God's grace will always be amazing it is also truly scandalous. To think that the same grace that was offered to the "best" of men is offered to the "worst." In this sermon we take a look at two responses to sin, and we have to choose what which response we are going to offer to a world in need. The reaction of religion, or the response of grace. This sermon comes from the passage of John 8:1-11.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and it might be! Then we need to sometimes see examples of what we are committed to believe. Keeping in theme with restoration we see a example of God's restoration in the life of David the King and Mephibosheth the crippled son of Jonathan. In 2 Samuel 9:1-8 this passage shows us a great example of how God helps those who can't help themselves, which is the very definition of grace. 1. Sin Crippled Him. 2. A Covenant Found Him. 3. Grace Restored Him.

We've all tried to restore something in our lifetime; weither it be a car, a piece of furnature or an old picture, but no matter how original or new the parts we use are we can never bring something back to its brand new condition. We can replicate, or even renew something, but only God can truly restore. God's process of resotoration isn't a new coat of pain, or even new parts on an old frame, but a resurrection. He brings to life what was dead inside of us. In 2 Corinthinans 5:14-21 Paul, shares with us the unique way in which God, through Christ works the miracle of resoration in our life. 1. He meets us where we are. (Vs. 14-16) 2. To make us what we can't be. (Vs.17) 3. That we might win others. (Vs. 18-21)

We've all heard the quote, "Don't be so heavenly minded that you're no earthly good" but the problem with people today is that they are so eartly minded that they have become no heavenly good. We focus so much on the things that are going on around us that we are dragged down by them and this is not what God intended. He intended for us to set our minds on things above and to look forward to our Hope. As Paul sit in custody of the Romans he had a lot he could have become depressed about, difficult places, difficult people, and a difficult path set before him, but because he remained heavenly minded God was able to use those experiences for the furtherance of the gospel. Can we allow God to use our life for the same, the good, the bad and the ugly, we can if we are heavenly minded.

One of mankinds greatest fears is darkness but can you imagine being in darkness forever, well there are those that are in spiritual darkness today and will chose to remain that way. In this sermon we find a man that was blind, but he could see more than many of the others around him. When Jesus passed through Jerico he wouldn't let his healing pass by. How would you respond if you knew that it was the last opprtunity for you to meet with Jesus? Would you cry out to Him, would you lay down your pride? Would you meet Him with awe and humility? I'm sure it would be much different than how many treat Him each day. Bartimaeus was desperate, determined, heard and healed. You have that same oppretunity today if you just cry out to Jesus. Don't let Him pass you by.

When you think about the ultimate dreamer in the Bible who comes to mind? Think about it, it has to be God. I mean He thought all of the things that you see into existance. Even the human body is a marvel of His imagination. This morning I want to show you four ways that God was the ultimate dreamer; He was the ultimate dreamer in creation, in us, in salvaiton, restoration.

Some of us spend our entire life chasing a shadow; a person that we want to be, a father that was a great man of God, or a mother that was a great servant.But there are others here today that may spend their life running from a shadow; a name, mistake, something that haunts them, or even defines them in the eyes of others. Three things to remember about chasing dreams; everyone has a dream, dreams can't be stolen only surrendered, at times they may seem impossible.

Last week we looked at the dreams that God had placed in Joseph's life and I challenged you to chase your dreams but one of the biggest problems with chasing your dreams is that everywhere we look there are those things that want to steal our dreams away. Every step of the way something tryed to steal the dream that Jospeh had been given. There were 7 stages that Joseph went through to get to where God wanted him to be. In each place it may have seemed impossible to see what God was doing, but what may seem impossible to us is always possible to God. Do you have the faith to trust God in the impossible?

We’ve all heard the saying, “So close yet so far away.” Well that could pretty much sum up the life of Peter as a disciple. There are moments when he seems like the ultimate follower, but other times that make you question his loyalty altogether. But I bet if you could look at our lives in a book you would see pretty much the same thing. There are some things that we need to know once we have fallen they are; God's plan is greater than Satans power and God's forgiveness is greater than our failures.

As Paul reminded us in Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. This battle is spiritual warfare at its core, Jesus verses Satan. There are three lessons that Jesus teaches us that Satan offers that we can overcome; a counterfit gospel, a corruptible future, and a crumbling future.